Manufacture of explosive shells.



H. AUSTIN.

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Patented July 18,1916, 1

H. AUSTIN."

MANUFACTURE OF EXPLOSIVE SHELLS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 71 I9I6. I v

Patented July 18, 1916.

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HERBERT s rm, or BnoMscnovE, ENGLAND.

MANUFACTURE OF EXPLOSIVE SHELLS.

Application filed March 7, 1916. Serial No. 82,730.

1 '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, subject of the King of residing at Bromsgrove, inthe: county of Worcester, England, engineer, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in the Manufacture of Explosive Shells, of whichthe following is a specification.

In the manufacture of an explosive shell there is a liability, if thebase of the shell is entirely integral with themain structure, of suchporosity or piping in the base as will cause the explosion of theammunltion, by which the shell is fired from a gun, to fire theexplosive charge within the'shell; and to avoid this it has been apractice to Great Britain, and

- turn out a considerable portion of the thickness of the metal of thebase and to screw a plate therein, and then to rivet the back edge ofthe plate into a slight r'abbet .or recess which surrounds the outeredge of the screwed opening, or the edge of the opening might be rivetedinto a slight .rabbet or recess left by suitably shapingithe back cornerof the plate. The riveting, however, tends to unscrew and loosen theplate somewhat within the opening within which it has been screwed; andthe main object of this invention is to avoid any risk that the processof riveting will unscrew in any degree and loosen the plate.

According to this invention, after the plate has been tightly screwed upwithin the base of the shell, it is submitted, during the time that theriveting of the edge thereof, or of the opening into which it has beenscrewed, is effected, to a twisting strain, that is to say, a strainwhich tends to turn the plate in relation to the shell, exerted in thedirection in which the plate has been screwed up. The twisting strainupon the plate, exerted in the direction in which the plate has beenpreviously tightly screwed up, prevents any turning back of the plate,1n relation to the shell, under the riveting operation, and the plateconsequently remains tightly screwed up throughout such operation. Theparticular means which may be employed for the purpose of the inventionmay vary considerably. According to the most elementary form thereof,the plug might be held tightly screwed up by hand, such as through themedium 'of the spanner by which it has been screwed up, and the rivetingmight be performed by means of Hnnnnn'r AUSTIN, a

a hand hammer. I have, however, devised apparatus which is particularlyconvenient for the purpose, and this I will proceed to describe byreference to the drawings, herewith Of these drawings :Figure 1illustrates a front view of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is a side elevation,partly in section, of the apparatus shown by Fig. 1; and, Fig. 3 is adetached plan view of a detail of the apparatus.

A is the machine bed and B a pillar which stands uptherefrom.

(3 (shown by broken lines. Fig. 2) is a vertical pillar which is capableof revolving within the bed A and carries at its upper enda quick-actionchuck D.

A shell E, which is to be operated upon by the machine, is shown bybroken lines .(Fig. 1) to be held in an inverted position by the chuckD, and during the riveting operation theshell is revolved by revolvingthe pillar C. The plate which is to be riveted in place in the base ofthe shell is screwed tightly up within the base prior to gripping theshell within the chuck D.

f is the operative portion of a tool through the medium of which thestrain tending to maintain the plate tightly screwed up is put upon theplate. This portion f of the tool is carried by a spindle F which isrevoluble within a holder G, but any turning movement of the spindle Fin relation to the holder is checked by means of a friction clutch H,such as of the plate type, as shown. The holder G is slidable verticallyalong guides of the pillar B. When the shell has been secured within thechuck D the holder G is brought down to engage the operative portion ofthe tool with the plate of the shell in a manner to insure that theplate g cannot turn' without turning the tool.

.K K are a pair of pneumatic riveters which are carried atopposite-sides of the holder G by means of a ring Gr which is fixedaround the lower end of the holder, being conveniently clamped to suchring by the clamps 7c.

The operation of the machine is as fol.- lows :As the pillar C, andconsequently the shell E, revolves, the operative portion 7 of the tooland the spindle F revolve there with, but the friction clutch H offerssuch considerable resistance to the turning of the spindle F as toinsurethat there will be a constant strain upon the plate of the shelltion in which the plate'has been screwed up' within the base of theshell. During the revolution of the shell, the pneumatic rivetersperform their operation and the twisting strain which is put upon theplate during its revolution prevents the plate from unscrewing in anydegree within the base of the shell while the riveting is beingperformed.

The pillar C conveniently revolves within a vertical cylindrical casingL of the bed A, and is conveniently driven through the medium of a wormM of a shaft M and a worm wheel N which is formed with or fixed aroundthe lower portion of the pillar C. The shaft M is shown to be driven bya belt m from a pulley P, of a shaft P, which transmits motion to apulley Q of the shaft M The pulley P is of a width to allow the belt tobe moved from the pulley Q on to a loose pulley Q} when the revolutionof the pillar G is to stop. The belt is conveniently shifted by means ofa pedal R operating through a rock shaft 1 and belt-shifter 9". Theshaft P is driven in any suitable manner from the source of power.

The tool holder G is formed in two main parts, namely, the part whichdirectly carries the spindle F and a part G in relation to which it isadjustable sidewise along guides thereof and is fixed in the positionrequired by set-screws g. The part G is slidable vertically along guidesb of the pillar B, and the weight of the tool holder and tool isbalanced, or largely so, by a balance-weight S which depends from oneend of a flexible connector 8 which passes from the weight over a pulleyT and thence down to its connection with the part G of the holder.Within a housing 9 of the part G is located a toothed wheel g whichgears with a vertical rack B which is fixed within the pillar B. On oneend of the spindle of the toothed wheel 9 is fixed a capstan wheel 9" bywhich the wheel 9 may be turned to .bring the tool holder down tosuitably engage the tool with the plate of the shell. The tool may beheld down by means of the capstan wheel while the riveting operation isperformed.

Conveniently, the operativeportion f of the tool is formed similarly tothe operative end of a screw-driver, to engage with a sawcut of aprojection from the middle of the back of the plate.

The plate clutch H is of a well-known type in which alternate plates ofa series which are pressed together by springs engage at their outeredges with keys of the casing within which they are contained, and theother plates engage at their inner edges with keys of a part which iscapable'of turning in relation to the case. Fig. 3 shows a ring whichpasses over the upper end of the spindle F and hasinward keys '0 toengage with keyways of the spindle and outward keys v to engage withalternate plates of the clutch.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. In the manufacture of an explosive shell in which a plate is screwedinto a recess in the base thereof and' is then further secured byriveting, submitting the plate, after it has been tightly screwed up,during the time that the riveting is effected, to a twisting strainexerted in the direction in which the plate has been screwed up.

2. In the manufacture of an explosive shell in which a plateis screwedinto a recess in the base thereof and is then further secured byriveting, submitting the plate, after it has been tightly screwed up,during the time that the riveting is effected, to a twisting strainwhich is maintained by frictional resistance, substantially as setforth.

3. In an apparatus used in the manufacture of explosive shells, thecombination of means for riveting to the base of a shell a protectiveplate screwed therein and means for imparting during the rivetingoperation a torsional stress to said plate in the direction in which theplate is screwed up, said stress being operative to prevent anunscrewing or loosening of the plate during such riveting operation.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 17th day ofFebruary, 1916, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HERBERT AUSTIN.

WVitnesses:

STEPHEN WATKINS,

ERNEST I-IARKER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I); C.

